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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

We are excited to share some of our photos from our trip to Michigan last week. J and I went to meet Becca, our birthmom, and her three amazing children. I don't think any of us knew what to expect, but we had the best time together. We count our blessings everyday that we were matched with this wonderful family and cannot wait to grow our families together through open adoption.

On the plane to Denver

We flew into Grand Rapids, Michigan and Becca lives about 1.5 hours away in a picturesque little lake town, St. Joseph. St. Joe is called the Riviera of the Midwest, and while it may not have the warm weather of the Riviera, it's pristine sand and beaches, put you right in a vacation mood.

Path to Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan Beach

Statue by St. Joe River

On our first day together, Becca showed us the beaches, lighthouse, and quaint stores in St. Joe. We had fun shopping together and had a great lunch at Clementines. Turns out, Becca loves to share food, and for those that know me, know I do too! Although I don't like fish, I tried her lake perch and it wasn't bad. Kind of tasted like fried chicken!

Us with our amazing birthmom!!

Becca and Shan

Becca and J

We were lucky to meet her sister that night for dinner, and the four of us had an incredible dinner and relaxing conversation. For dinner, Becca chose Grand Mere Inn and it was the best meal we've had in a long time. True Midwestern fare, lots of good steak and potatoes! Let's just say, we didn't go hungry on this trip.

At Grand Mere with Becca and Rachel

On Sunday, we went shopping with Becca for her oldest son, Eli. Eli was a cheetah in the school play on Monday night and he was supposed to wear orange shirt and orange pants. Yes, you read that right! Orange pants? Needless to say, he wore an orange shirt and brown pants, but he fit in just fine. On Sunday's food journey, Becca brought us to a Mexican store/restaurant (my very favorite food!) La Perla was a little dive, and as true Mexican food aficionados know, they serve the best food.

We got to meet Eli after lunch and spent about an hour with just him and Becca at their house, before her twins, Emily and Evan came home. We had so much fun playing computer games with Eli, and just playing and chatting with the three of them. The plan was to go for pizza for dinner, but before that, we took them swimming to our hotel's (yes, indoor!) pool and spa. J had a blast playing with the three of them in the pool. Becca and I had so much fun laughing and getting splashed. We had dinner at Silver Beach Pizza. Another winner!!

Us with Becca, Evan, Emily, and Eli

On Monday, J and I had most of the day to ourselves, so we walked around the beaches again and St. Joe. Becca came over mid-afternoon and we skyped into our social worker at IAC for our match meeting. In this meeting, we talked about what kind of contact we/the baby will have with Becca, including emails, birthday invites, photos, and visits. We even talked a little bit about what will happen at the hospital when she gives birth. I think we all agree that our meeting went very well, we are all on the same page, and are so excited to move forward.

Can't wait to meet this little guy in March!

Baby with his Daddy

Eli invited us to his play after our match meeting, and we had so much fun watching him be a cheetah! We went out to one last dinner with Becca and the kids after that.

Our plane flew back to Sacramento the next morning at 6:30am, but a huge snowstorm set in, so J and I drove back to Grand Rapids that night around 11:30pm. It took us over three hours to get there and the snow and roads were insane! It was a definite white-knuckled drive, but hubby did a great job getting us there safely. We slept a bit in the airport, and luckily, took off and landed right on time.

Grand Rapids Airport

We loved our trip and it went better than we could have imagined. We all get along so well, and it felt like we were meeting an old friend, instead of someone we'd never met. We have a lot in common and we feel very positive about our match. We have so much adoration and respect for Becca. She's raised three smart, caring, and loving children.

It was honestly, very sad to say good-bye. The good news is that we'll be back in March, and in each others lives forever.

Monday, November 3, 2014

WE ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!!!!!

We are officially matched with the most amazing birthmom, Becca! She contacted me after reading my blog post on Patience, which is ironic, because I never thought about it relating to a birthmom. We hit it off immediately with Becca and we're truly blessed not just to be matched, but to merge our family with hers. I will tell you a lot more about Becca later, but I just want to express how much respect and admiration we have for her. She is truly an amazing woman.

So, without, further ado....here is our little miracle!

And we won't make you wait to know what this beautiful baby is... IT'S A BOY!!!!

And yes, he is growing happily in Michigan, St. Joe to be exact. Becca is almost 23 weeks and this week, baby boy is the size of a large mango or grapefruit. He is due to make his world debut on March 11.

J and I get to meet Becca and her family in person very soon. We fly back to Michigan on November 14-18 and we're so excited! While we are back there, we'll have our official match meeting with IAC (I'll explain what that is soon.)

There is so much else to say and express, but I want to keep this post short and just focus on this phenomenal news! J and I are incredibly happy! It's been so exciting sharing this with our family, and now you. Thank you for always supporting us in our adoption journey. And this journey is just beginning...

So stay tuned, and remember, no matter how impossible they sometimes seem...